"Let's start left to right."

"Sure."

She plays with them, but - it mostly seems to be spinning around. Lace peers at the mechanism, and at some shelves, and places a cubic mechanical thing in one of the receptacles - which makes some of the buttons light up. Pressing those makes other buttons light up...

Eventually Lace has: a glowing runed cubic thing containing flows of glowy stuff that seem to have come from the bunched up cases, and an open case containing an Elder Scroll. Hopefully the one they're looking for, nothing's labeled.

"Okay new idea, distract the dwemer with imported puzzle platformers..." Lace mutters, scooping up the cube and the scroll just as noise starts up downstairs - seems something is breaking in. "And next is look for doors to elevators up?"

"Hopefully. Otherwise it sounds like we'll have a tricky fight ahead of us."

"And a long one..."

She checks quickly for hidden doors up behind the platform - none - and then clambers down the stairs to poke around the lower level.

There's only one other than the one they came in through, tucked weirdly behind some bookshelves.

"Odd place for an emergency exit. Shall we try?"

"Sure. Maybe they let the librarians remodel..."

The door at least seems unlocked. No excessively bad fire code violations, here. There's an elevator up behind it, which works, taking them up rather slowly for a long time.

The gatehouse it deposits them in is locked. It's a lot colder inside than it has been underground, though - meaning they're likely at or near the surface.

"I hope the reason this elevator was hidden wasn't that they lost the key..." Elana says, looking around.

No keys in sight.

Lace hums, peering at the lock. "I mean we can probably get this open with enough time or maybe magic..."

"Maybe there's a mechanism."

Lace hums, running her hands over the wall next to the door out, until - "Hah," she mutters, pressing on a section until it - and the lock - clicks. "They've apparently invented keypads!"

The door can be opened, after that, revealing a snowy mountain landscape.

"Ah, beautiful Skyrim."

She peers around. "They might've abandoned the door because the roads here kept getting avalanched on..." 

There's kind of sort of a path visible beneath all the snow. Or at least a flatter point where the rocks are not.

"Seems dangerous." She scoops Lace up before setting out for the path.

She giggles, snuggling in.

The path has some pretty deep snow drifts that're a bit annoying to navigate around, and drops precariously down through the mountains. It's a long way to the nearest settlement, and already getting late in the day.

Fortunately, Elana is a vampire, and refuses to be defeated by mere geography.

She can carry a snuggly Lace through the night, then. The path passes the peak Dimhollow Crypt is under, curling around to the east of it - Elana can head north to Dawnstar, from here, or west to Morthal and then Solitude. Dawnstar's probably closer.

Dawnstar it is. It'll be quiet at least, and they can take stock of their new position.

Dawnstar's reachable shortly after the sun rises properly. The port's gearing up, the rest of the town sleepily murmuring along. A cold wind blows in off the sea.

There at least appears to be an inn right by the town's entrance, which promises a warm hearth and hot food. Lace is shivering a bit.

An inn would be very good. Her girlfriend needs to warm up.

Nuzzle.

Elana can claim a place by the promised hearth pretty easily, with a bench wide enough to snuggle her girlfriend on. 

Then all that's missing is a hot meal.

Eating while snuggling complicates it slightly, but Lace is clever and dexterous and can figure out getting hot soup and bread into her without detangling from her girlfriend.

Elana can assist, if desired.

Most useful girlfriend.

Hee.