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Sadja stared up at the high bookcase and heaved a deep, long-suffering sigh. According to the ledger, the book she was looking for was somewhere above her, far out of reach. She chewed on her lip as she scanned the room for one of those handy ladders that allow the vertically-challenged to reach top-shelf content. There were none in sight. "Typical," she muttered, resting her hands on her hips. For a brief moment, she considered climbing the shelves, but decided against it when she envisioned the chaos that would follow.
Left without option, she went to search for the librarian, only to crash into a towering Imperial between shelves. The breath left her lungs and she choked on fur as her face collided with his cloak. She yelled into the fur, her voice muffled by the soft substance. He gave her a gentle nudge and took half a step backwards, allowing her some space to recover from their collision. She said something in Yoku that sounded like a curse, then in the common tongue she said, "Watch where you're going! There are other people here, you know."
"Sorry... I didn't see you..."
"Should have known," she scoffed. "You're too tall."
At a loss for words, he managed to stammer another apology, his cheeks reddening until they almost matched his hair.
She made an exaggerated air of brushing herself down, struggling to maintain a haughty look, but failing as a smile broke through and softened her expression. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just teasing." She craned her neck to meet his eyes and winked. He stared down at her with wide eyes, eyebrows drawn together. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her eyes alight. "You're tall!" She said it as though she'd only then noticed. "Come with me!" She snatched his hand and tugged him down the aisle before dashing forward, leaving him to trail awkwardly behind.
"Lift me onto your shoulders."
"Huh?"
Sadja looked up at him again, and he shrunk back under her unabashed scrutiny. "You're an odd one," she said. "Now, come on. Lift me up!" She raised her arms above her head and beckoned him with her hands. He hesitated a moment before hauling her up onto his shoulders, all tension and discomfort. "Mm, you smell nice," she said, bemused, her hands running along the leather-bound spines, searching. "A-ha!" She leaned over and felt his hands stiffen on her legs. "Relax, I'm not going to fall." She selected a worn, brown book from the shelf and opened it up to the first page. She thrust the book into the air as if it were a victory standard in a war. "We are victorious! Let all shelves fear our might!" She felt his shoulders shake a little beneath her, but he remained silent. "You may lower me now."
When returned her to the floor, she gave an extravagant bow. "Much obliged to you, Sir..." She lifted her eyes in an unspoken question.
"Vasek. Just Vasek," he said. His cheeks were still red.
"Sadja," she said, rising. "Just Sadja."