Viriya was standing in front of the curved table near the door of the library. The front side was quite darker than the relatively bright inside of the place.
When Viriya asked about what book Shereka was reading, Shereka's eyes widened and she looked at the book she was reading and replied, "Uh... it's. It's a book about trees." When she replied, she was glancing towards the book Viriya had just kept on the table. The book had a blank beige-coloured cover on it.
Of course, it wasn't something Shereka wanted Viriya to know, she wasn't even looking towards Viriya when she spoke about the book.
To get out of that awkward situation, Viriya replied with, "Well, I won't be needing that then. Can you help me with some book of geography?"
"Yes, yes. Let me get it for you." Saying that, Shereka quickly left the front desk with her book, instead of calling over someone, which she had done the last time when Viriya got her previous book.
Viriya was flustered at that moment, because she didn't really want the geography book or anything. She needed a book which covered the current cycle Nrit had mentioned. But thinking the geography book should have something about it, she thought, [Well, at least something will be there].
While waiting for the book, she looked outside the door. At the hallway of the second floor of the opposite side of the building, Nrit was walking along that hallway. With him, a person was walking alongside. That person was wearing an almost black cloth which was wrapped like a hood. Viriya's eyes followed them until they were hidden behind the wall of the library.
She kept looking outside, mostly the outside ground was empty. Very few people were outside. When she was absorbed looking outside at almost nothing, Shereka called her, maybe more than once, "Viriya! Your book."
"Yeah, thanks." Saying that, Viriya started to walk towards the desk she had been sitting at, with her book, seeing someone had already occupied it. She went and sat at a different desk.
---
"How are you doing?" the doorman of Chembur asked. He was sitting beside the door of Chembur, leaning against the wall.
It was almost evening, they talked here and there about pretty much nothing.
Hearing that from the doorman in the middle of the conversation, Viriya, sighing inwardly, replied, "Not that bad."
"By the way, what's your name again?" She wanted to get away from the how-she-is conversation, and she didn't know the doorman's name, so she pretended she did but forgot.
From the previous day's interaction with the doorman, she was quite sure they hadn't known each other before. To test that theory, she pretended to know his name.
The young adult doorman, looking at Viriya, who was sitting almost exactly opposite him, replied, "Did I— it's Yelar. What about you?"
"Hm, yes. And I am Viriya." Hearing that, Yelar replied, leaning his head to the left, "Huh. Good name. Why did you want to meet me?"
After confirming that they didn't know each other from before, Viriya said, "For a few different reasons. Do you know the situation of her — the palm?"
"Yes, it hasn't matured yet. You have to wait." After saying that, he looked at Viriya, most likely expecting the next question.
"Have you ever been to the southern continent?"
"No? Why?"
Viriya mainly wanted to ask about the Imaginary Tree and wanted to know how she could send a letter to someone. Not wanting to go straight into that, she asked, "I might have to go there to meet someone. So I wanted to know if you know anything about that place."
Viriya had seen the map of that place in the geography book, she knew roughly what the place actually was like. At the south corner of the Southern Continent, there were some mountain ranges at the south end of the continent, clustered at two spots. And the northern part was connected to a huge landmass, which was most likely known as Asia at some point.
"Go during a calm cycle of the current. The next one is likely in a few weeks..? And the place — that is quite different. Not as developed as the northern continent. Still using old machinery. But near the current, it's similar to our side. There are fewer water wheels there, though."
"Ok, how can I send a letter there instead?"
"Normally...?" Yelar replied with a confused expression, like it was an obvious thing.
"That works there? Great, but what is that method? I have never sent any."
With an audible sigh, he replied, "Go to any watchtower with a letter and address, they will help you there."
Viriya didn't know that, but it was kind of obvious. From the memory flood, she remembered some information transfer using fire. It wasn't clear how she could do that. So she asked, "Yes, ok, but that takes time. Isn't there a faster method? With fire? I saw it being used sometimes, but don't know how to."
"Who even has a personal reader? Go to the Watchtower, they have that. Will cost more, though."
Hearing that the Watchtower also had that, which logically it should, she decided not to talk about it anymore. He seemed slightly annoyed, or maybe amused.
Viriya finally decided to ask about the tree, if he knew anything about it.
"Yes, and the last thing, I was reading about the Imaginary Tree earlier, in a book at the library. Not many details were in there. Do you know anything about that?"
"You mean the barren tree near the coastline?"
[What? Barren tree? What?] Viriya had expected that maybe he would not know, or know something about it but wouldn't tell, like Dhrikita, but that was unexpected. Scrambling for words, she asked, "What do you mean? Is it like dead? But the book, it was different?"
Viriya had been calm until then. She believed if she could find it, maybe she would be able to return. The dream of the tree was vivid in her head, but hearing that it was barren, her hopes felt like they were breaking.
"I don't know what was in the book, but many people do call that the tree of imagination. You most likely read about that," he said in the most nonchalant way possible. Maybe he wasn't nonchalant, but it sure felt like that.
Forcing a smile towards Yelar, she thanked him and ran towards the library. While running there, she calmed down, thinking, maybe both trees were different? The similar name was a coincidence. She wasn't sure, but if that were true, it would be a saving grace.
It was getting dark. While going towards the library, she was calmer than before. Midway through, she saw Shereka walking towards her, she had a handbag on her.
When they were closer, Shereka asked, "Library?"
Viriya nodded upon hearing that, and Shereka replied, "Go there tomorrow. Come with me."
"Where?"
"Just dropping you off."
"But? I—"
"Yes, go there tomorrow."
Viriya accepted that without much fuss, after that, if she could get any more information from her about anything, that was better.
They left the university after meeting with Sir Weaver before leaving.
Walking far from the university, when they reached a relatively less populated spot, Shereka said, "Before meeting Ruoark, check with any other psychiatrist."
Psychiatrist sounded good to Viriya, it was a really good choice for whatever she was going through. But not wanting to reveal anything to anyone, she replied, "Really, I am ok. Don't worry."
"Yes, sure. After all that?" Shereka replied, as she blocked the road in front of Viriya.
"Huh... yes, I am ok, really." Saying that, Viriya started walking again, from the side of Shereka.
"Well, then, Ruoark it is. Don't make a fuss on the next day of the gathering." Shereka followed behind.
Viriya didn't know or remember anything about a gathering or any Ruoark. To pry a little about it, she asked, "When is the next gathering?"
Stopping for a moment, Shereka replied, "You will be informed beforehand...?"
"Oh yes, and can I join you on the journey? When you go there?" Viriya asked because she wanted to go to the gathering. She could blame her abnormal behaviour on her incidents, and she would also be able to say something about the kidnapping incident of Ramarana. It was a good plan. And at a gathering, just observing could give her a lot of information.
"You definitely need to seek a psychiatrist. When did you start reading Rene, and we don't go there? You are not ok." Shereka replied, blocking Viriya's path once more.
[Rene? Did she mean Rene-La Shrit? And if we don't go there, how is that even a gathering?] While Viriya was thinking that, Shereka was still saying something, which Viriya mostly tuned out.
Interrupting Shereka, Viriya replied, "No. Ok, I will talk with Ruoark, but not anywhere else. And I forgot about the gathering." And she continued with an intentional sarcastic tone, "Yes, I totally forgot about the gathering; please remind me."
"Well, that settles it then. Return home safely." Saying this, Shereka started to go back down the road they had just come through.
Viriya had thought Shereka might say something about how she could join the gathering, even if in a sarcastic way. She thought, at least the gathering wasn't happening then. She would have the chance to learn about that.
Looking back, Viriya shouted, "See you tomorrow."
Without looking back, Shereka held her hand up for a few moments and kept walking.
Seeing that, Viriya also kept walking towards her home.