It's a nice library, especially for such a small town, with plenty of everything, but a focus on science and poetry, a well-appointed children's' section, a nice selection of music and holovids, and comfy chairs offering varying amounts of privacy.
Right now, though, it's closing time; the announcements have been made, the final checkout rush handled, and now the librarian is making one last check before she locks up for the night.
"All right." She goes and holds the door open; Nine takes the cue to un-hug. "Do you two need anything, before I go to bed?"
"No, we'll be all right," Daisy answers. "Goodnight."
"Mmhmm. 'Night, Love."
"I need a shower, still. You can go ahead and get comfy, I won't be long."
He nods, and, a little hesitantly, settles on Pradnakt's bed, curled on his side, but such that he can see the doors.
She gets a nightgown from the back and disappears into the bathroom, returning some fifteen minutes later damp and smelling of soap; she snuggles up behind him. "You okay?"
He nods slowly. "I- s'just still confusing? And...and that's...tiring?" (It's strange that the confusion somehow seems more exhausting than helping build the house.)
"Yeah, that happens. I can try to explain, if you have questions?"
He's quiet for a moment, thinking. "Why is it so tiring?" he asks, because right now he doesn't get that, and he can word that. "It's- it's not physical?"
"It kind of is. Not like working, but like being afraid - if you don't know what's going to happen, you can't relax, and that uses up energy too, trying to be ready to deal with surprises all the time."
"Yeah." Squeeze. "Well, you have your house, now, and we won't go in there without your permission, so if you need some time to relax, you have a place to do it."
That still feels weird, but...in a nice way? (And he's not entirely sure he trusts that they won't come in, but- but they haven't lied so far?)
"...what if I don't know how to?" he asks, a little worriedly.
"We can work on it. We'll need to anyway, to help you get your fire under control. But just getting used to the idea of being safe is the first thing, and that's just time."
"You'll get there." She curls in to kiss the top of his head. "It's not the kind of thing that happens right away - you need to see that things are okay now before you can believe it, that's normal."
He goes briefly still - but more in an 'unknown action' way than any real fear. Then he hums a quiet acknowledgement, and after a moment of thought, snuggles a little more into Pradnakt. (He goes still again after that, a little wary, but less so than he has been.)
She brings the blanket up and turns out the light. "Goodnight, Nova."
And eventually it will be morning again, and Nova wakes up to the slowly-less-alien feeling of being warm and safe and at the very least content, if not happy.
He hums out what is probably 'good morning'. (He's noticed that she wakes quickly after him, but twice could still be a coincidence.)
"'morning." She's awake, yeah, but she doesn't seem all that inclined to do anything about it.
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