The alcove sat deeper into the library than the rest of the shelves, half-shadowed by the way the lights were set along the ceiling. A low table, two chairs, a narrow stretch of space between them that felt contained without being closed off.
Galathea didn't sit.
She stood just inside the threshold, her hand resting lightly against the edge of the shelf beside her. The wood was smooth where it had been handled over time, worn just enough to register use.
Alistair was already there.
Of course he was.
Positioned near the table, posture unforced, attention already on her before she stepped fully into the light.
She didn't greet him immediately.
Her gaze moved once across the space-- table, chairs, distance-- then settled back on him.
Measured.
Not hesitant.
There was no uncertainty in what she was about to do.
Only evaluation.
The Codex had taken her input and kept what it wanted.
Her body had responded to things she hadn't chosen.
Names shifted.
Outcomes held.
