parallel lines

chapter iii

Word Count: 2,388 words

Chapter III: 害人之心不可有

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The excitement that was laced on Natsuko's tone was heard as her shrill echoed across the empty halls of the building, not much of humanity was in a state of unconsciousness to sacrifice their lives and physical body to the heat outside just to go to a library in the middle of the desert, heat, and no body of water nearby.

"Wan Shi!" she hasn't stopped calling for him ever since she confirmed her suspicions and as per usual, she was about to get him really annoyed with her.

"I remember specifically suggesting that you call me by my full name."

"And I remember not to take your suggestion for it."

The spirit who was seen as a large owl had just sighed in defeat the time that she had entered with two doors opened in a exaggerated way, and was already about to pray to another spirit for guidance with Natsuko who is never here for no reason, "And what do I owe you the pleasure of being here?"

"Just so you won't miss me is all." she had already made herself at home, finding Wan Shi at the table and asked for a cup of tea to spare the time, "How could you stay alone here, it's stifling."

"It is not stifling, you are just too near for my comfort to breathe properly." the foxes brought her a cup, which she thanked for and looked at Wan Shi who was seated at the other edge of the table, "I am literally 6 feet away from you. Also, you used stifling wrong."

"You cannot make me look like I'm not smart, I own a library."

This was normal for the both of them and the rest of those who know them, it really is fun to make fun of stuck up know-it-alls who claims to have known thousands of things but not accurate enough, "It would be pointless if you do have your own library but not read a book from it."

"What are you doing here, Natsuko? Still playing around while your little plaything hides from his responsibilities like you?" Natsuko clasped her hands together in delight at the pitiful attempts at the other spirit's in backlash.

"The Avatar is not my plaything nor are we both hiding from the responsibilities unlike you being hypocritical with humans, he still needs time."

"Do care to explain." The conversation between them slowly died down as another being arrived in the library, clad in armor of red and black with a plan.

"He seems ecstatic to be here." Natsuko was unsettled by the off putting feelings the man gave her, "Too ecstatic, enlighten me O, Ye who is knowledgeable of all things, is it his first time to visit?"

"He frequents quite a lot, always around after noon, spending his time about other cultures."

"I see."

The man wasn't that much of a sore thumb, not that he was alone except for the pair of guards who accompanied him inside and was standing guard by the doorway and not because of his pointed armor and noticeable colors.

There was something about him that would give anyone chills down their spines in a non pleasing way and no one was able to be completely unbothered by unsettling feelings.

His choice of clothing made him look like he was an officer of high rankings in the Fire Nation and the two guards by the door was only adding more fuel to the fire. His face was more of a problem by the smugness it shows, like a lunatic who was about to kill the moon spirit or something near.

And it wasn't the last time Natsuko saw of him.

Just as Wan Shi Tong mentioned, he was frequent in the library with different soldiers to come with every visit. He was always reading books of different cultures, she reads them by the time he leaves just to come back another day.