As she set the kettle down to heat up the water inside, Elizabeth retrieved a mug from the upper cabinet and set it down on the counter. She listened to him speak for a moment, quiet until the water began to boil.
“Any other symptoms? Fatigue, nausea?” she asked, tilting her head slightly as she placed the tea bag into the cup. Several thoughts raced through her mind all at once at a fairly steady pace, but none of them were any she had notions of sharing right then and there. She adjusted herself and put her hand against the edge of the countertop, leaning into it.
She didn’t blame him for being surprised, given how distant she had been recently. Her hesitance for being around other people, even and especially Booker, came from an emotional place she wasn’t sure she could explore. Elizabeth turned her attention to his face as she studied his features, noting the colour being somewhat drained.
“No, I just decided to take a break,” she said, casually as she could muster. “The filing’s already been finished. Not many people hang out at the library when something isn’t actively trying to kill them, so it’s been easier to maintain.” Lacklustre explanations, she knew, but they suited her needs well enough.
“I’ll head back tomorrow, make sure no one crushed themselves with a shelf or something.”