#elsewhere

Bronte gathers in another book, and tends to it.

Smoothly fussing, she licks the page, near crumpled, and with it wetter now, smoothes out using her tail as a press rolling.

Of course, she could take it to the nocker next door who is a professional book binder, but Book wyrms learn by doing, and she will try to tend and mend this most mistreated manuscript.

Zara checks in on her little darling, and murmurs a soft sound of approval at her efforts.

Bronte doesn't see her person ,so focused is she on her task. It's slow, methodical. Wherever she got this book from, it is clear someone cared nothing for it.

But yes, Zara can gaze with pride as the little bookwyrm takes a breath, and ..breathes on a tear.

Bookwyrms aren't known for breathing fire or the like

In fact, few know them to breathe anything special at all.

Yet...just as the folds have been smoothed, now a small tear seems to mend as if it were a living thing.

Eye widen, then she smiles.

The little dragon yawns, a small sweet sound, and curls up on the book, both to continue to press out wrinkles, and also because , well, books can be terribly comfortable to settle into.

It is possible that little puff of breath was tiring to her.

A gentle pat on the head, and Zara settles down nearby to work on some lace and read.

Noting Zara is there, Bronte gives a flick of a lick to Zara's slender fingers, "It is a far far better thing I have done.." and then drifts again

Earl gazes on the scene and smiles. Zara felt his presence. Used to she merely heard him, perhaps caught a scent of paint, but she knows him so well now. She can feel him like a slow river feels a ripple. He is at the door way. He is content.

As is she.

Now his eyes are on her. Not just content, bordering on sentimentally happy to just watch her read.

the tatting shuttle clicks softly in her clever fingers

Yup. Just happy to watch. Oh perhaps more. She never knows when her lover will find inspiration watching her. When he might purloin a moment of her existence and immortalize it in the abstract. Ruthless, her hunter, that he should so skin and mount a memory.