It was storming hard in Central. The streets echoed with the staccato tattoo of rain hitting the roofs, the windows and the streets. Motorcars skidded on the wet cobblestone and vendors closed tight their sidewalk stalls against the downpour. Even the rats had fled the alleyways behind the restaurants, seeking somewhere safe and warm.

Dripping and scowling like a cat just out of the bath, Lust slipped into the warm dryness of the Central City library. Her black hair was plastered to her face and back and her dress and gloves felt heavy with waterlog. She didn’t like the rain. She preferred drier climates, hot warmth and the kiss of the sun. She didn’t know why - surely a creature such as she was more suited to foggy nights and moonlit alleys - but she had never enjoyed the rain.

She wasn’t the only one seeking solace in the library. With the sudden opening of the skies, shoppers and soldiers and elderly folks out for their afternoon walk had all sought refuge wherever they could. No one had expected the storm.

The library was accommodating. Lust had to give them that. Frumpy looking women in hand-knit sweaters were bustling about with towels and trays of cocoa, succor for the near-drowned masses that had flooded the entry room.

The stench was awful. Lust wrinkled her nose at the rancid smell of wet fur - rich women’s coats soaked in the sudden downpour. She moved away from the crowd, chilled to the bone but unbothered by it. Though she hated the cold, she was used to it.

“Oh no!”

Lust turned, startled by the pained outcry behind her. A young girl - Lust could never tell human’s ages - stood behind her, spectacled and horror-stricken. Lust looked about her but saw no one in her immediate vicinity. The girl was gaping at her.

“Is there a problem?” Lust asked, arching an eyebrow.

“You’re going to catch a cold!” the girl exclaimed. “You’re soaking wet and…” The girl flushed a brilliant scarlet, nodding and gesturing weakly to indicate the low neckline of Lust’s dress.

“How sweet,” Lust purred. In truth she was more annoyed than anything. “I’ll be fine.” All she’d wanted was to get out of the rain. She hardly needed an earnest slip of a girl fawning over her health.

“Oh!” Suddenly the girl brightened. “I know! Here!” She grabbed Lust’s gloved hand, an action that surprised the homunculus, and began tugging her in the direction of the library’s reception desk.

“It’s really not necessary…” Lust didn’t even know what, exactly, she was protesting. Other than this foolish girl touching her and dragging her off against her will. She found herself tugged behind the desk and into a small backroom filled with boxes and various heaps of clothing, books, bags and other assorted junk.

“It’s the lost and found,” the girl explained. “People are always leaving things here. And they never come back for them. You’d think people would want their things, really. After a couple of months everything gets moved back here,” the girl was bent over double, fishing around in a large box. Lust watched her with a mix of curiosity and horror. “…and they’re up for grabs. Aha!”

The girl tumbled backwards out of the box gripping something large and grey. A coat, Lust deducted, as the girl with the glasses winced.

“This should help!” The thick coat - with a fur trim, Lust noted - was thrust out triumphantly. Lust stared at it, and then at the girl who was staring at the ground and flushing. A coat. The girl had dragged her back here to give her a coat. So she wouldn’t catch a cold. It was ludicrous. But it would draw unwanted attention if Lust didn’t take the damn thing.

“Thank you,’ she said, blankly. The girl smiled broadly, still flushing. Was she really that put off by bare skin? Lust took the coat and struggled to put it on. The fur clung to the wet fabric of her gloves and her sodden hair tangled in the drawstrings of the hood.

“Oh! Let me help!” The girl scrambled to grab the edge of the coat, pulling it up Lust’s arm and over her shoulders. Lust allowed the girl to pull the coat on. It was warm and snug, at least. The girl settled it properly about Lust’s shoulders and moved her hands to adjust the edges. The heel of her palm brushed against the bare skin of Lust’s breasts, and she jumped away as though burned.

“I’m sorry!” she exclaimed. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

“Really,” Lust said, smoothing down the coat over her wet clothes. “There’s no need for a fit.” The girl was bright scarlet again, her round face flushed. Lust raised her eyebrows. Such a strong reaction over a simple brush.

“I’m sorry!” she repeated. “I’m such a klutz!”

“Tsk, tsk. It’s just a bit of skin,” Lust purred, an amused smile crossing her lips. She reached out and patted the girl’s crimson cheek with her hand. The flush deepened. What an interesting little mouse, this bookish girl. And with the rain pelting the city and no immediate plans, Lust wasn’t opposed to playing with her here in the backroom of the library.

“I…I should get back out there,” the girl said, her voice sounding thick.

“Are you certain?” Lust traced her fingers down the girl’s cheek to her chin.

“I…er…um…”

“Yes?”

The girl paused, indecision and interest staring out from behind her round glasses. Lust’s thumb stroked her cheek. Lust’s other hand gripped the girl’s wrist, bringing her arm up, placing a trembling palm against the bare flesh of her breast.

“You’re… you’re so cold,” the girl mumbled, still frozen where she stood. Fear and awe colored her voice and Lust only chuckled.

“Then why don’t you warm me up?”

The moment seemed to last for an hour. The girl wet her lips, a nervous little gesture. Her hand on Lust’s breast was warm, fleshy and human. She was quivering. Her eyes were wide. Her cheeks had never lost their rosy flush. Lust smiled, stepping closer to the girl, lips parted in an intention to kiss.

“Sheska! We need you out here! The rain‘s getting worse and there‘s more people coming in!”

The call echoed into the room from the main section of the library. The spell was broken and the girl - Sheska - pulled away with a yelp.

“Coming!” she called, backing away from Lust with quick steps. “I… I have to go! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” She bobbed like a child’s toy as she backed away, her hands up in some gesture of apology. She backed into the box of unclaimed items, yelped again, and then darted out of the room, leaving Lust alone.

The rain was ruining all of her plans today.