Elise got back to the inn late that night after committing the maps to memory; she’d even confused the cleric by closing her eyes and wandering around the library blindly for a few minutes to test her mental map. Ichigo played interference after she explained what she was doing, and dutifully kept her from smacking into shelves or tables - even pulling her back when she almost took a tumble down the stairs.
Ichigo had grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her tight to his body - only letting go after she opened her eyes. They’d both blushed, and she took her leave of him shortly after that - once they’d arranged to meet up the following afternoon.
Now, she lay in her thin, narrow bed at the inn thinking about how good it felt to be held - even for that brief moment - though it wasn’t
