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Robin collapsed into a plush chair, the stack of books she was carrying swayed dangerously as she lowered them onto the large table before her.
Night had already fallen, and the light of day had been replaced with the lights overhead and a couple of lamps that surrounded the sitting area she was currently settled in. The carpet was plush under her slippers and the table wide and low to the ground. This area seemed to be used more for coffee than studying, judging by the amount of coasters she had to move to get all the books she needed.
She had started the night out by studying tomes, trying to find any connections between the one she woke up with and the seemingly hundreds Chrom’s library seemed to have. She picked out several variations of the thunder spell, each one scribed by a different mage.
It was strange that someone like Chrom, a businessman, seemed to have so much information on thunder magic.
In fact, it led Robin to wander the shelves, trying to find something that didn’t directly or indirectly relate to thunder magic in some way.
She kept seeing the Lowell name pop up, and a teardrop shaped symbol appearing alongside it.
Eventually, her curiosity got the better of her, and she started a long side exploration of why Chrom’s library was filled with books about thunder and Lowells. She grabbed family trees, studies, tomes, and even a fictional picture book that was stamped with the symbol.
All these books and more were piling up on and off the table.
Robin took a sip of her coffee, ran her hand down the well-worn spine of a book titled “Dragon Families: Origin and Lineage” and began to read its opening paragraphs.
“Robin?” She heard from directly behind her, making her jump and drop the book right out of her hands. She looked and found Chrom, a newspaper in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. He had finally changed out of his business jacket and slacks into a simple shirt and pants.
The mug had that strange teardrop symbol on it as well, she noted.
“Chrom!” She said, moving to pick up her book as he walked around to the couch beside her. “I’m sorry I just, I’m studying and it’s dark and it’s probably late by now and I should be sleeping but-”
“It’s okay, Robin! It’s okay.” Chrom said, a light tone in his voice. He put the cup down on top of one of the books, seemingly not stressed about it leaking onto one of the Lowell books. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I just thought you might want the company while doing some light reading. Although…” he gestured with the paper at the stacks of books surrounding the coffee table. “This doesn’t seem very light.”
Robin sighed. “I got curious about something, and wanted to get to the bottom of this.” She held up a book, “Thunder and the practicality of its use in daily life: study by Duteronomy Lowell”. “What’s with this library and the Lowells and electricity anyways.”
Chrom stopped, blinked, and then laughed.
“What’s so funny? What am I missing?” Robin asked, a little offended at his outburst.
Chrom had to take a moment to breathe before answering. “Oh no it’s just- I forget that you don't know a lot of things sometimes. Sorry if that’s a little mean of me.”
Chrom rolled up his right sleeve. “See, I am a Lowell.”
There on his muscled shoulder, the same symbol she had seen in her books. A teardrop surrounded by a semi-circle, seemingly tattooed onto his skin.
Of course. Of course he would be a Lowell if he had so many books by them. Why didn’t she even think about that.
“Oh!” Was all she could say. Questions were already running through her mind. “Is that like, a family tattoo?”
Chrom shook his head. “No. It’s a birthmark, actually. Something about our ancestors being slayers of dragons and being blessed by Naga herself. Of course, there’s no royalty here, but we still stay relevant I guess.”
“How so?”
“Well, what are the other books about?”
The cogs were slowly tuning in her head.
Thunder tomes, hundreds of them. So something to do with magic, even if Chrom didn’t seem magically inclined. Studies and journals, so something to do with research. The practicality of thunder. The symbol on the children's book about-
And then, she felt the lights turn on in her mind.
The lights.
“Did your family, invent the lightbulb?”
“Well, yes, but I guess that’s not as important really as inventing a way to use thunder spells to power cities.”
And there it was. The reason of how Chrom could live this kind of lifestyle. His old money.
“You… made the magic grid that powers the city. The Levin method, was your family’s doing?”
“My grandfather, to be exact. He’s the one who came up with it, along with his brothers, and my grandmother built us this house with the money. It’s pretty nice, I’ll admit.”
Robin nodded. It was making a lot of sense now.
“Then I guess I won’t be needing all these books anymore. I should start putting them back before it gets too late and I fall asleep here.”
Before she could grab a book, Chrom’s hand stopped hers. He pushed it back and grabbed a pile of books at her feet.
“Don’t worry about it.” Chrom said, nodding towards the book that had clattered to the ground a while ago. “I know you’ll probably want to get right back to reading something, so I’ll put back what you don’t need. I also know this place just slightly better than you, so it shouldn’t take me long.”
Robin smiled. His hand was warm.
“I wouldn’t want to waste your time though, Chrom. Let me take care of it, I was the one who pulled them out anyways.”
“No Robin, I insist, let me be a gentleman.”
“Oh so now you want to be a gentleman? Where was this earlier when I was talking about having my beauty sleep?”
And so, they sat there bickering. Light hearted jabs that made the other smile and distracted them from getting any work done. By the time they had tired each other out from talking, they were already feeling the effects of the night reaching them.
Robin yawned as she leaned further into the couch. Somehow she had ended up there, Chrom slouched on the other side as he finally opened the newspaper and began to read something.
“...Chrom?”
“Yes, Robin?”
“Your family, are they okay with taking me in?” She asked, eyes flickering up to the high ceiling.
“Of course they are.” He replied. “Why wouldn’t they be?”
“Chrom, you found me passed out on a bench in Central Park.” Robin sighed, closing the book in her hands. “Who knows what I was- who I am. What if I’m a dancer, or just a bus driver, or what if I have some dangerous past.”
She looked back to Chrom. His eyebrows were furrowed in worry.
“Robin. As long as you’re here, and as long as you’re willing to trust me enough to stay in my house with my family, I’m willing to trust you.” He straightened up just a bit. “It doesn’t matter where you came from, in my eyes.”
Robin felt some kind of warmth in his words. She held onto them for a moment to let them sit and figure out what this feeling was.
“Thank you, Chrom.” She said, watching him smile and it eased her heart.
She was sure she’d find out her past one day. But for now, she could just live in the moment.