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Linhardt couldn’t believe they were even having this conversation. “I must have misheard you,” they said, crossing their arms. “Can you say that again?”
“The second floor of the library is haunted,” Ashe stated. Which was what Linhardt had heard the first time as well, so at least the war wasn’t having adverse effects on their hearing.
The pair were standing at the bottom of the staircase leading to Garreg Mach library’s second floor. More accurately– Linhardt was standing on the bottom step, towering over Ashe more than usual, and Ashe was planted firmly a few feet back.
“Okay,” Linhardt began after a long exhale. “Okay, let us pretend for a moment that the second floor is haunted.”
“It is.”
“It’s not. But pretend it is– You and I fight against the Empire army on a monthly basis. How is spending five minutes on a possibly haunted floor scarier than marching into almost certain death every battle?”
Ashe pursed his lips and eyed the staircase. “You haven’t seen what I’ve seen,” he said in a distant voice. Maybe it was Linhardt’s imagination but Ashe looked pale merely standing this close to the second floor.
“The library. Is not. Haunted,” Linhardt declared. “Not the second floor, not the first floor, not the alcoves.”
“Just because you don’t believe in ghosts–”
“It’s not a matter of belief. Do you know how long I sat in this library during school? I was here all hours, all seasons. If there’s really a ghost in here, it wants nothing to do with us.”
Flexing his hands, Ashe sucked in a deep breath. “I guess that makes sense…” He swallowed. If Linhardt didn’t know any better, they’d think Ashe was preparing to walk into rampant arrow fire without a shield.
Sympathy spurred Linhardt’s legs forward and they reached out to place a hand on Ashe’s shoulder. “We’ll be fine up there. I promise you, just trust me.”
Ashe nodded, a small, wobbly smile appearing on his face. “I trust you. Alright,” a steadying breath, “let’s do this then.”
“Good.” Turning on their heel, Linhardt started up the stairs. “The section we need is way at the back so stay close. There’s a lot of books for you to hold.” At the top of the staircase, Linhardt looked back. They half expecting to find Ashe racing out the library doors.
Yet there was Ashe– trembling but present– right behind Linhardt. He met their gaze and offered a more steady smile. “T-Thanks, Linhardt,” Ashe said, grip white on the railing.
Linhardt gave a simple nod and led the way onward with relief. Already this simple trip had been more exhausting than they’d thought, but Linhardt couldn’t find it in themselves to be too annoyed. If Ashe had gained something from this, and if he was still willing to carry a stack of books back to Linhardt’s dorm room, then maybe it had been worth the fuss after all.