Specter of...love?

2. In which their mutual nerdiness is discovered

A few days passed since that first incident, and Specter was very careful afterwards to keep to himself and avoid Propeller as much as possible. He knew he didn't have a reason to, because Propeller seemed nice enough and had been willing to listen and try to understand him, but Specter was still awkward. It felt like Propeller already knew too much, even though he had barely said anything.

Specter found himself heading back to that room, needing to be alone. He wasn't upset or anything like last time, he just wanted some time to sit and think somewhere where he felt safe and closed in. The Enchantress had been getting more aggressive in her demands for her eighth knight, and Specter needed a break from the pressure. He swung open the door of his secret hideaway and nearly died a second time when he saw someone standing in there.

"P-Propeller! What are you doing in here?!" He shouted, brandishing his scythe out of instinct. Propeller turned and looked at him; he was facing the bookshelves, holding one of the books in his hands, completely unfazed.

"Ah, bonjour Specter! I apologize for intruding, this is your space, is it not?" He shut the book he was holding, completely ignoring Specter's attempt at intimidation. "You see, I couldn't help but notice these books when we were here the other day. I've exhausted my personal collection, and I'm unable to go to a village to get more, and I'm getting quite bored of reading the same stories over and over. I thought if there were books here, I'd give them a try, oui? But," he sighed, "these are not literature. They're all record books and documents and other information that is useless to me." He shrugged and set the book back on the shelf. Specter relaxed his stance.

"Wait, you mean...you like reading?"

"But of course! I must have something to keep me busy when I am not plundering the skies!"

"Why don't you check the library then?"

"...There's a library here?" Propeller asked with wonder. "I never knew! I was never given a proper tour of the tower. Rather rude, hmm?"

"...Come with me." Specter turned and started walking, and Propeller followed.

The fastest way to the library was by flying outside the tower, so Specter was grateful for once that Propeller had that silly helmet with it's helicopter blades, so he could follow him outside, up and around, land on a balcony, head inside, down a hall, and finally, to their destination.

"Here," said Specter, walking in and holding his arms out. "The library." It was actually pretty impressive: a fireplace crackled and lit up the tall bookshelves with a soft, warm glow. Books of every shape, size and colour lined every shelf, and there were a couple of tables and chairs, as well as plush couches and armchairs around the fireplace. The memmec was curled up in front of the fire, asleep, as it almost always seemed to be. Specter heard Propeller gasp.

"Oh, it's marvelous!" Propeller took a few quick steps further in, head turning constantly, taking in everything around him. Specter huffed in amusement, taking a small note of pride for being able to show Propeller something like this. Propeller spun around to face Specter, clasping his hands together. "What kinds of books are here?"

"Everything. Lots of nonfiction, but the back is all fiction. Murder mysteries, action adventure, romance, there's even some plays..."

"Ooh, where's the romance novels? Those are my favourites!"

"How surprising," Specter muttered sarcastically, beginning to lead the way forward. "This way." They went deeper, then Specter pointed out a shelf. Propeller thanked him, rushing forward and scanning the titles quickly.

"Ooh, what a nice collection!" He commented, before turning back to Specter. "You like reading too? What are your favourite genres?" Specter shrugged.