LEYAH III

She looked in the mirror, her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, the pure white dress, gifted to her by her mother, went along naturally with her pale skin. At the same time, her dress contrasted pleasantly with her black eyes. She had applied minimal makeup, preferring to enchant him with her natural beauty. She looked quite elegant yet bewitching, if she allowed herself to be a tad bit narcissistic.

She hoped her looks appealed to Fredrick to the same extent as they used to. His preferences could have changed, for all she knew. Leyah shook her head. No, these were pessimistic thoughts. Such thoughts would do naught but deter her, it was better to remain an optimist.

Nevertheless, if her looks failed her. Her wit certainly would not. If there was one preference of his that could never change, it was appreciation of wittiness, humor and intelligence. And she was by no means lacking in the aforementioned traits. Rather, she had them in abundance; she could admit that much even as a somewhat humble individual.

It was, perhaps the biggest, if not the only, reason for her endearment to Fredrick. While, yes, she certainly had the looks that many a women would be envious of; Fredrick was not a man who was shallow enough to be deceived by mere looks. Nay, he was above such foolishness. He was perhaps the greatest judge of character that she had ever met.

Flashing an enchanting smile at the mirror, she put on her hat and smoothed out her dress. Commandant Fredrick was certainly going to be head over heels by tonight, she thought to herself with a chuckle as she made her way outside the library's compound.

The car that was waiting for her, was not a luxurious one, far from it. It was a 4-seater convertible known as ‘Kaustauv’s Limousine’, an inexpensive car, despite its name, and one that was far too common in the Core Worlds. She hardly cared for her ride and doubted that the Commandant would either. Besides, their date, was it a date?, would hardly end with a joyride. While the entirety of the landscape was extremely scenic, she doubted Fredrick would have enough time for it. He was a busy individual afterall.

The auxiliary staff of the library had been strangely helpful to her in her preparations. The driver, he was her personal driver now, was in particular quite vocal about the choice of her ride. He detested the idea of her using such an unfashionable vehicle.

“A beautiful lady such as yourself, milady? In such a mundane car? It is a heresy, I say. Allow me, and I shall fetch a most handsome ride for you.”

His words had almost swayed her. Almost. She still remembered rather vividly, that such purchases would be right out of her own pocket. And, in spite of whatever image of her financial status that the staff had, she did not have that kind of money. She was financially well, yes, but not enough to purchase a new car just for this day.

Suffice to say, the old gentleman had been put out at her rejection although had understood her reasons. He might be my favorite person in the staff, she smiled at that thought as the man helped her into her seat. The list would be quite small, considering she had not interacted with many in the staff. Maybe, her opinion would change later. A big part of her, however, refused this line of thought.

She had still yet to forget their blank stares. I doubt, I will forget those looks, a shudder passed through her body at the image. Leyah shook her head and instead began to admire the scenic route leading to the town.

The sun shone brightly in the sky painting the entire land in an orange-yellowish hue. The season of autumn was in full swing, each tree’s leaves had turned a beautiful shade of red. The road was littered with leaves which had been shed from the trees.

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Every moment was like a painting in motion. Every glance, every look that she cast upon the landscape was rewarded by the most gorgeous of all eye candy. She could admire the scenery for eternity and never tire. It was good, then, that she was not the one driving. She could not trust herself to pay attention while driving in a surrounding like this. The road was usually deserted yet one never knew.

There was a comforting scent in the air, she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Yet, she could appreciate it, wholeheartedly. Perhaps, it is the scent of rebirth. Hmmmm, or, maybe it is the scent of melancholy, Leyah pondered to herself.

“Milady?”

Leyah was startled. The old man smiled politely and opened his mouth, likely to apologize. She held up her hand. It was hardly his fault for startling her.

Caught up in her pondering, she had failed to notice her arrival at the town. It was completely her own fault. Old habits die hard.

The town, or more accurately a slightly large village, exuded a feeling of homeliness that no other place ever had. With each visit, she found herself hopelessly falling in love with the quiet town.

St. Mariah, was its name. The name had belonged to a Sister of the Holy Order of Luna sent here during an unknown period. However, much to her surprise and annoyance, no records of such a woman existed in the library nor in the Church in the town. Regardless of the validity of the name's origin, the people of the town seemed to hold an ardent belief in its origin. That was, perhaps, the reason why none in history had bothered arguing this belief.

Mayhaps, I should do it. Certainly, couldn't be worse than searching for that thrice damned book all over the library, she thought to herself with a quiet chuckle and then immediately grimaced. She should avoid jinxing herself, lest she be prepared to face the consequences.

The town was like a painting come alive. Or more accurately, a piece of civilization that was frozen in time. From every building to every pavilion and from every cobbled street to every alley, everything sang a tale of an era long past, yet one that is etched into the very essence of the town. In this era of rampant accelerationism and mad technologies, the town had managed to cling on to its ideals. She respected it and loved the town even more for it.

It was a breath of fresh air from the sight of superstructures and skyscrapers which pierced the sky. She had always fancied living in such a quaint little piece of civilization. It was surreal to experience it with her own eyes. It was not to say, that she was not amazed by the achievements in technology. Far from it. She was always taken aback by them as a kid and even after all these years, they still had the same effect. However, those monuments, those buildings, those Churches, lacked soul. They were impressive, sure, but never was she implored to marvel at them for long lengths of time.

It was always a ‘Oh, that's awesome, anyways’ and never a ‘Oh, that's just magnificent!’.

The cafe that she had chosen for their meet-up, Fredrick had delegated this duty to her considering his lack of knowledge regarding this matter, was a small and cozy one located at the town's plaza. She had visited it before to have a cup of coffee and had ever since, planned to return. However, due to a certain book, she was unable to.

She stopped to look at the window of the cafe and through, the albeit unclear reflection, smoothed her dress. With a serene smile on her face, she stepped inside the cafe.

The aromatic scent of roasted coffee beans enveloped her nose. She took a deep breath, allowing the aroma to embrace her nostrils. Marvelous.

The table that she chose for their date? Reunion? Meet-up?, had a great view of the grand and majestic fountain at the center of the plaza. The fountain depicted a dolphin leaping out of the waves with a constant stream of water spewing from its mouth. It was a beautiful thing. Certainly, not the most impressive attraction in the town, yet it was still appreciable.

And thus, that is what she did. Observing the people of the town going about their business. It was a way of exercising her imagination, wondering about their job, their nature or simply how their day was going by looking at them. She doubted the accuracy of her deductions. Nevertheless, this exercise served as an excellent way to pass her time.

And pass her time, it did. So effectively, in fact, that she failed to notice that the time at which Fredrick had sworn to arrive had come and passed. Lost in her observations, she failed to notice the man standing right beside her. Until he tired of waiting and suddenly spoke, startling her yet filling her with equal parts, glee.

“Old habits die hard, huh. Wouldn't you agree, Ley?”