Ai: "Would anyone like to go to the library?"

  It was a few hours after practice ended and neither Triss nor Ena had replied. Lying on her floor with an idle expression, Haine read the message and contemplated. With the early evening the room was notably quite dark as she hadn't turned the light on, with the only two lights in the room coming from the ever fading sky through her windows and the television that was still churning out the most boring things she had ever heard.

  The library was quite a large building, architecture predating the metallic numbness of the skyscrapers with it's outer decorations of stone craft made with passion and personality. There were large steps leading up to the elevated entrance that Haine almost missed when she reached them.

  The interior was equally as vast, Books neatly sectioned with acres between them and an archipelago of separate desks ordered in a far corner, with a large welcome desk towards the centre. Sitting on one of the furthest desks from the entrance was a very tired girl.

  Ai had three books open with her notes in front of her that had become a far stray from her usual neat and orderly kind - mutating into a much more scrambled soup of words.

  BANG.

  Jerking back Ai looks to her left to see Haine had dropped what seemed to be the largest book she could find on top of the desk next to her.

  "Never seen someone read before?" The girl said as she sat down.

  Ai tried to go back to focussing on her work at hand but so many thoughts trapped in her head there wasn't any room. Maybe the next page would help? She thought, as she had for the previous pages too.

  Sssshhhrrrip.

  Turning again she saw her friend had opened the book and was looking at it with purpose. Though considering she now saw that the book was an analysis of the history of Meteorology, she was not sure what that 'purpose' was. Again she pulled herself to her work. It still seemed so distant, only growing further away the more she tried to catch it.

  ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz.

  The book had proved too much for Haine who had now seemed to enter an abrupt slumber.

  "This is hopeless." Ai cried, Picking up her equipment and moving to leave, startling Haine awake who was quick to follow.

  As they left the library Ai turned quickly to Haine.

  "Why? Why are you always so... just.."

  Ai didn't finish her sentence as she took a seat on the short stone wall surrounding the stairs up towards the library. Haine quietly sat next to her, not paying much mind to her comment but showing a face of concern.

  "Are you stressed?" Haine asked calmly with a slight waver in her voice.

  Ai had her head in their hands for a moment but now looked up, taking a brief moment of respite she felt she did not deserve.

  "Yep. Yeah..."

  Ai slowed her breathing, though the harsh air refused to give her complete solace. Haine was fidgeting with her hands, she went to speak before waiting for another moment and then standing up with a jump.

  "Well sitting around won't solve anything, come on!"

  Haine's caution seemed to vanish as she pulled Ai along by her hand to a small park surrounded by a short metal fence, with it's entirety in relative shadow from the towering buildings that surrounded it on all sides except from the single road that passed it. The park itself was quiet, almost forgotten. A small piece of pleasure yet unrooted by it's neighbours. Maybe they truly had forgotten it? Or maybe they did not care?

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  "Wait we need to go ba-AAgHH!"

  Haine took a sharp right turn almost tripping Ai over. She had taken a vending machine pit stop. Ai caught their breath for a moment as Haine hummed putting in the code for her favourite chocolate.

  "Want anything Ai?"

  The machine whirred as Haine's chocolate was pushed forward by the coil only to get stuck on the glass. She turned to see this and instinctively went to order another on the same row. Ai ,now recovered, moved to step back and return to Library.

  "No I mean we really need to go back. I've not actually studied or anything and whenever I try I just..."

  The second chocolate got stuck behind the first. Haine now showed visible frustration and, with some force, re-tapped the code once more along with swiping her card.

  "So you tried it before?" She replied as she now stared at her hopeful saviour within the machine.

  Ai slowed her steps. "I mean I have been trying. Whenever I do though the words feel so far away."

  The third one got stuck too. As Ai turned to Haine the distance between them seemed to grow.

  "Then maybe you need a different approach."

  The red-head hit the machine with a THUD as the prizes fell for collection. She threw one to Ai with the bar dancing in her palms for a moment as Haine turned away humming in the direction of the park equipment. Ai's eyes flicked to try and look back at the library but they couldn't turn away from what was in front of her. She followed a short distance behind.

  They spent a good while at the park, with Haine taking the initiative to help Ai discover a childish side she realised she had lost. A game of tag, a very serious competition of "Who can swing the highest", and finally Ai was sat on the merry-go-round.

  Haine stretched her arms and neck. "I'll have you know I am professional at running around in circles."

  Ai laughed. "bet you coul-"

  Haine had started to push it and as the spinning quickened Ai held on for dear life. After getting to a sufficient momentum, Haine jumped on with a cheer, before also fearing for her life and holding on in turn. Screaming playfully for a few moments until Haine said she wasn't feeling well, Ai put out her foot to slow down the ride so they could disembark.

  Upon doing so, the two now dizzy collapsed on the short, flat grass that surrounded the equipment. Looking up Ai saw rays of the sun seem to slip past the buildings above and sneak into their realm highlighting the faint intermittent snowflakes drifting down towards them.

  Haine, after recovering a moment from her own dizziness remarked on the sight they shared. "Pretty isn't it?"

  In truth, it was nothing more then a normal view, Ai thought. It was ordinary. She could likely find in a thousand other places that looked exactly the same... but it still felt liberating. A sight one would only see if they looked up away from the ground that bound them and the gritty city grind. Though it could also just be the experience she was feeling that made it so pretty. Freedom.

  Closing her eyes Ai took a few breaths. A lightness she had not felt in a while. They took it in for some time before rising to leave the park. As they returned to walk past the vending machine, Haine noticed a poster that she must have missed due to it facing towards where they just left. She marched forward to it and read it out loud but only in a voice so quiet it was indistinguishable anyway. Atleast till she finished it and begun to process the message.

  The poster had hand-drawn pictures of small stalls and some people wearing traditional clothing with a series of floats being central to the piece. All in a glaring contrast of the many logos plastered along the poster listing an endless stream of advertisers.

  "AUTUMN FESTIVAL?"

  Ai approached to also read the poster. "Happen near the end of the seasons, I haven't been to them for a while though."

  Haine turned to her with a plead. "We need to go as a a band pleeeeeaaase??"

  Ai smiled. "For practice right?"

  The two had now approached the library again and, upon checking the opening times, Ai learnt it would still be open for another hour.

  "Not really enough time for a study session." Ai added as she told Haine the timing.

  It still stung, but weirdly it didn't seem to hurt as much as she had felt it would. It didn't crush her.

  "But it's still enough time to give your best, which is all you need!.. If that's what you want and stuff..."

  With that small comfort Ai agreed to complete their original mission again with Haine at her side, who seemed to restrain themselves more now, she approached the desk which felt much closer then before. The gentle creak of her chair as she pulled it out. A sound which usually annoyed her and added to her troubles now felt like it just brushed against her. Then it was the books. The books felt closer. She could read them.

  With the sky now darkening and doors closed, the two waved eachother goodnight at the steps of the library. The shadows that seemed to originate over the park had seemingly spread across the entire city. Though on her walk home, Ai still felt light.