Linore was an oddity in the world. It kept one foot in the Land of Darkness and one in the Land of Light, a fact that could be seen with its mash up of architecture and people. And even then, there was no clear division between what was Light and what was Dark, as the buildings all seemed to incorporate both styles in a seemingly random fashion. Sure, there were some houses that were rather traditional in their design, but by and large each one was unique to the person that made it. Asher found the sense of individuality the houses gave off remarkable, but remained skeptical that such a place could truly remain at peace as long as the war raged on. 

The prince made his way through the crowds discreetly, the hood of his dark cloak pulled almost past his eyes. There were plenty of other cloaked individuals like him, those that did not want to be recognized fraternizing with the enemy, but Asher hardly gave them a second thought. Rather, his attention was focused on the monumental library looming in the distance. It stood brilliantly against the twilight sky, its walls sheer white and simple. Even in a city as large as Linore, the place was hard to miss. Opening the 

To Asher, the smell of books was oddly comforting, which made wandering down the aisles of books a rather pleasant experience. And when he picked up a book, thoughts about the war, about his duty to his people, about his father’s expectations, all seemed to fade away. It was a respite that he knew full well he could not indulge in for long, but one that he welcomed nonetheless. As much as he loathed to admit it, Valentine had been right about his body's need for rest. Besides, a little reading wouldn't make him lose his edge. And more than anything else, the place reminded him what he was fighting for. 

-----

Asher looked up from the pages he had been engrossed in. What was meant to be a quick trip to grab a few books had turned into several hours of reading, as one book became two and so on and so forth. The prince found himself in a relatively secluded corner with several stacks of books surrounding him, as if trying to shut him out from the world around him. Sheepishly, he scratched the back of his head, unintentionally pulling the hood away from his face. A small tinge of embarrassment crept into his expression as he realized just how easily he got caught up in his reading, as he realized he should have already been on his way back to the castle by now. 

[color=slategray]”Screw it,”[/color] he muttered with a small shake of his head, his eyes returning to the pages once more. [color=slategray]”What’s a few more minutes going to hurt?”[/color]