Out in the hallway, I moved as quietly as possible on the tiled floor. It was a lot harder than I would have thought, the rigid foot didn't allow the flex needed to tiptoe. Instead I took big, slow steps, creeping along at the speed of snail.
Now, I had no idea where I was going. Yes, I was conscious and paying attention when Angel Boy was guiding me earlier, but that didn't mean I remembered any of it. Plus, these corridors all look the same. Beige walls, never ending tile, and identical style doors, I'd need a cookie crumb trail just to find my way back to my dorm.
I opened every door that wasn't locked and every time the results were more discouraging. This building had more supply closets than occupants and even more empty rooms. Why did they pick such a big building if they weren't going to use all the space?
Five hallways and thirty-eight doors later (I counted), the hallway I was in ended instead of linking to another. Double doors blocked me from going further and I saw light seeping out from under. Someone was awake.
I had wanted to avoid coming in contact with anyone, but I didn't have much choice anymore. I was completely lost and there was no way I was going to make it back without help. So I bit the bullet and opened the door.
Inside was a library. It was a huge spread of books, way more than the public library by my old apartment had. Two stories of packed shelves extending up to the ceiling.
I was on the second floor, which didn't have much other than a wrap around walkway and a small alcove with a few chairs. Spotting the stairs, I went over and got my first full look of the downstairs.
Most of the space was dominated by bookcases, but there was also an area set up for reading. A couple of tables were set up, as well as several couches and armchairs that stood around a central fireplace. Sitting in one of those chairs by a flickering fire was the guildmaster and he was looking right at me.
A brief urge to flee was stuffed down and I descended the stairs to meet him. He never looked away as I awkwardly shuffled over until I was standing in front of him.
He was dressed in loose, black sleepwear and clutching in both hands a mug of tea. Now that I was close enough, I noted his tussled obsidian hair and dark circles under his eyes. He must've not been able to sleep.
"Sit."
I hurried to obey, choosing the closest chair which just happened to be across from him. My robe fluttered around me as I did so, showing off a hint of skin. Wait, robe? My eyes widened dramatically as I looked down, confirming that the only thing keeping me from flashing my new boss was a fuzzy white bathrobe.
The guildmaster noticed, of course he did, and raised an eyebrow. I was bright red, I could feel it, and avoided his eyes. Not that doing so stopped him from asking about it.
"Is this a hobby of yours?"
Oh god, no. "I don't have any clothes to wear," I mumbled.
The guildmaster sighed and I jumped slightly. He set his mug down on a side table and waited until I looked up to speak again.
"What are you doing wandering around at this time of night? You should be asleep," he asked, his voice low in tone.
Speak for yourself, mister hypocrite. I was only awake because I couldn't sleep anymore after the nap I had.
"I was hungry," is what came out instead.
The guildmaster eyed me for a second before he got up and started to walk off. I hesitated, wondering if I should follow, and then he turned.
"Are you coming or not? Move it."
Oh. I scrambled after him and he led us out of the library to a nearby room. Inside was a mini kitchen with a bar attached to it.
He dug around in the cabinets, knocking aside various spices and plastic cutlery before producing a bag of crackers, which he threw at me.
"We need to make a grocery run, so this is all we have for now. They might be a little stale." His ears pink, he turned away and worked on putting everything he had pulled out back in the cabinet. Was that embarrassment I was seeing?
I was touched. Was my cold boss actually just a facade this whole time?
"This is perfect, thank you!"
I took a seat at the bar and started munching, the hunger coming back with a vengeance now that I was actually eating. When I had devoured about half the bag, I paused.
"Why are you still awake, Guildmaster?"
He seemed a little startled that I was speaking to him. He dropped the butter knife that he'd been idly spinning and my opinion of him skyrocketed from the very human mistake.
"You don't have to be so formal, no one here calls me Guildmaster. Just Ash is fine," he said, avoiding the question.
"Okay, why are you still awake, Ash?" I pressed.
I couldn't say why it was so important to me that he answered me. Maybe it was because this was the first actual conversation we'd had and I wanted to judge what kind of person he really was.
I continued to wait, staring him down with an uncharacteristic stubbornness. Finally, he relented and I mentally celebrated the small victory.
"I have insomnia. I usually come out to the library and read when I can't sleep."
Insomnia, huh? That's so male lead coded. I'm pretty sure this isn't a BL, though, so the moment's a little out of place.
"That sucks," I replied lamely.
Ash's lips quirked upward in amusement. "It does suck."
It was silent again, aside from the sound of my chewing. I finished the bag and still felt hungry, but I didn't want to say anything after the trouble he went through.
"You should go back to bed now."
I looked over at Ash, who was already standing up and ready to leave. I stood up and slid in front of him, blocking his way forward. I got a weird look for my actions, but if he left me here, it was guaranteed I would die in the hallways without ever finding my way back to my room. I'd come back as a ghost just to get lost again haunting the halls.
"Will you take me? I don't know my way around."
Ash frowned, but I paid no attention to it. If he wasn't going to kick me out for walking around in only a robe and eating all his crackers, I wasn't worried about stopping him to demand he walk me to my room.
"Please? It's not like you're busy. The books aren't going anywhere"
Okay, I'll admit that may have been a little too much. Friendly or not, there's only so much you should sass your boss. Usually I can keep a better lid on my personality, but I guess it slipped this time.
Luckily, Ash wasn't offended. "Fine, I'll take you. Tomorrow you need to start learning your way around. I won't always be around to save you."
"Yeah, yeah," I responded, already walking away.
Ash chuckled and followed after me, grabbing my arm before I could make a wrong turn and correcting me. "And ask Milo to get you some clothes."
I smiled and let him lead. Hey, Angel Boy was right, he just needed to warm up to me. Maybe we could be friends after all.