Chapter Text
The day had been slow, perhaps influenced by the forecast of a severe thunderstorm.
A total of three customers had been in the whole day, which was as much a relief as it was tedious. Armin dreaded the social interaction that was sometimes needed to work at a book store, though, he also relished it; it was the only social interaction he got nowadays, aside from the rare instances he agreed to see his friends.
As of late, Armin had been in a bit of a slump; one may even say he had been morose. A sort of cloud hung over him, restricting his social exchanges with others. All Armin truly wanted to do was sleep and read. Hoping to get himself out of this newly developed depression, he'd requested extra hours- his boss had actually asked him if he was okay when they heard the request, as even they knew he wasn't too keen on the social aspect of the job, and more hours had meant more social interaction.
However, Armin insisted, and that was how he came to working until close one Thursday night.
Fidgeting with the sleeves of his sweater, Armin watched the sudden downpour outside; the few people that had risked the trip outside the comfort of their homes quickly sought out shelter. It was a funny thing, how some people ignored the severe weather forecast, venturing out of their homes. Was it an act of rebellion, of sorts? Did they not believe the weatherman? There were many questions playing on his mind when his boss called out to him to finish organizing the philosophy books. With a sigh, he took one last fleeting look out the large windows into the already semi-flooded street.
It truly was a mystifying sight, combined with the classical song playing overhead. Yet, somehow, the sight gave him a feeling of wistfulness.
Shaking himself from the oncoming daze he was ought to be trapped in, he grabbed the three philosophical books- all by Plato. As many times as Armin had been told he was smart, whether it be by his friends or some girl in the book store trying to hook up, Armin had never really gotten into philosophy. As much as he stressed on his own thoughts and questioning of things, he didn't think he needed to stress even more on philosophical questions. And so, as Armin started to make his way to the 'Philosophy' section, he took a minute to look down at the books. One in particular caught his eye.
It was obviously a very old and very well-read book, the spine barely holding on. The words were written in gold, though almost completely worn off, and the illustration on the cover was that of birds flying from a tree. Simple, yet something within Armin told him to open the book. And, so, Armin Arlert did just that. Tucking the other two books under his arm, Armin opened the book to a random page, and began to read.
...and when one of them meets the other half, the actual half of himself, whether he be a lover of youth or a lover of another sort, the pair are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy and one will not be out of the other's sight, as I may say, even for a moment...
The small piece of the paragraph that Armin read was about soulmates, no doubt- something he had never even considered being true. Of course, it was evident in multiple religions and cultures across the world, but just as many other things, it was just fiction. Something made up to fascinate people and to, no doubt, increase procreation.
As he began to read more, Armin stumbled, bumping into someone. But, wait, the bell on the door didn't go off, so how was someone here?-
Just as Armin's mind started to race, a gasp and the sound of a book hitting the floor brought him to his senses, and he looked up from his book. Confusion was evident on his face as his mind was still stuck on how someone got in without the bell ringing. His eyes made contact with large, (e/c) eyes, surprise written on the woman's face. Glancing down, he noticed a book laying upside down, open to a page the woman had most likely been reading. Mumbling out an apology, Armin bent down, and so did the woman, though Armin was faster.
Once he grabbed the book- it was on Greek Mythology- he noticed the page it was on. The chapter was simply called, "Soulmates", which sparked Armin's attention.
Was fate messing with him?
Glancing back up to the young woman, he handed the book back to her. She had enthralling eyes. Catching his thoughts drifting to a place he wouldn't be able to come back from, he looked back down to the book, now in the woman's hands. What were the chances he had been reading about soulmates, and bumped into a woman also reading about it? Especially in a bookstore with thousands of books? Surely it was just a coincidence.
Armin blinked a few times as if to clear his mind. Raising his eyes back to her own, he finally spoke, asking, "You believe in soulmates?"
She looked like a deer trapped in headlights, Armin mused, taking in the light rose tint to her cheeks.
"What?" She asked, shaking her head. It was then that Armin decided she was a naïve girl, most likely reading up on her fantasies of finding her prince. Though, Armin pressed on. "The book- it's open on soulmates." He paused once more, taking in her expression. "You know, the Greek's story on soulmates is quite fascinating."
She nodded her head, still seemingly flustered at being caught red-handed. So, Armin offered a smile to the girl he presumed to be naïve, glancing behind her and mumbling that the rain had finally come to a stop. The close to a conversation.
Yet, Armin glanced once more into the enthralling (e/c) eyes, wondering who this innocent, credulous woman was, and why their worlds had suddenly collided over this fictional trope. And even though he could stand there and study those eyes for longer than he would of ever admit, he pulled himself away, careful to not trip on the piles of books lining the aisles as he opened 'The Symposium' once more.