There has to be something!

Everyday after work, you return to the library and read everything you can find, cover-to-cover, desperately looking for anything that can help you get rid of Djal. And what is more infuriating than Djal's constant taunting, teasing and jeering, is the fact that you have to bounce from dictionary to dictionary, translating these who-knows how old books that they have here. On the upside though, you can now recognize and read most Continental languages, both alive and dead, and have a basic grasp of their grammar.

Your human study partner on the other hand, when she's not busy swearing angrily under her breath, regularly bangs her head off the table when her required reading comes up in a different language. After a particularly long smoke break, she reluctantly asks you for help in translating, so that she can get her assignments done. You agree, but you remind her that you're essentially self taught and will probably get things mixed up. She just shrugs and tells you it's better than nothing. She also eventually tells you that she studies here instead of at her college library because all the material has been scribbled over and/or ripped out, and she doesn't want to ruin her street cred if she gets caught looking like she gives a shit about her education.

After yet another fruitless evening spent translating, what is now apparent to you, an engineer's notes on waterworks, a loud crash of thunder and lightning knocks out all the power to the library. Your vision is strangely unaffected, and you can see clearly across the table, Lily is shivering in fear with her hands covering her ears. Looking out the window, you can't see anything but the torrential downpour of water and winds so strong, it could knock an elephant off it's feet. Lightning flashes again, this time even closer. When it hits, it feels like the thunder itself is punching you in your eardrums, sending the roof and windows rattling loudly. Lily's shriek joins the tail end of this chorus of chaos. Taking the terrified girl in your arms, you rub her shoulders and comfort her, waiting for this sudden storm to run it's course. You cast Djal an accusing look, but he merely shakes his head.

Minutes pass by slowly, until the lights finally flicker back on. You can still feel Lily shivering against your chest, and are confident that she won't be able to make it back home on her bike tonight. Shaking her gently, you tell her that you drove here today and that if she wants to, she can sleep at your place tonight.